We are now in the final weekdays of the church’s liturgical calendar. After this week, we enter the first week of Advent. My reflections will continue; however, I will limit myself to reflecting on my homily on Sundays for Extraordinary Latin Mass and for the Novus Ordo Mass. I am not yet fully recovered from my eye problem, and I feel the need to avoid too much exposure to the computer. It has been more than two years that I have been putting much time and effort to share with you the Dictates of the Heart Gospel Reflections.
Today is the Memorial Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Mother. This feast has been celebrated by both the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. According to Church tradition, this feast originated in the 2nd Century taken from apocryphal source, protoevangelion or the book of James. We know that the gospel of Luke 1 narrates to us about the Annunciation of an Angel to Mary; however, the presentation of the Blessed Mary as a child was narrated by James when Joachim and Ann went to the temple for the presentation of their child, Mary.
In today’s gospel, Luke tells us about a widow, who had given up her two small coins for Jesus, “for her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.” This poor and widowed woman offered all that she had, keeping nothing in reserve for herself in faith. Jesus praises the widow because she gives from her need, not from her surplus. I imagine her humility which we are inspired to follow by her example.
I believe that this is a teaching lesson and good motivation to those who are wealthy people, not to give from their surplus but rather to give according to what they can afford to give. Jesus does not say the gift of the wealthy is not generous, but only makes the comparison to the widow who had given more. He does not criticize the wealthy, but rather extols the widow’s generous heart.
It is a prayer of action on the part of the poor widow. She drops the two coins in the treasury expressing two important lessons:
First coin, she offers in thanksgiving to God who provides everything for her; hence, she is ready to give everything back to God, whatever she has and lost.
Second coin, she entrusts everything to God, all of her future or maybe the night of her soul. Then she walks away with resignation and satisfaction.
Today, God is asking us to be generous. Detachment from material things need to be put into practice. Pray for those people who take advantage of your generosity as well. Let them find out that in the end there is retribution they have to pay due to their lies and deception. Justice is not ours; our concern is our security with Jesus.
God bless you.
Fr. Arlon, osa
